Mobile computing devices provide the benefit of being portable while allowing a user to perform a variety of functions including various forms of communication and computing. For example, some mobile devices are capable of accessing the Internet, executing gaming applications, playing videos and music, as well as providing functionality of a traditional mobile, e.g. cellular, phone. Such devices are generally powered by a rechargeable battery. A persistent challenge in mobile device design is increasing the length of time the device may operate without recharging the battery.
Some computing devices may include one or more accelerometers to detect device movements. To conserve power, some computing devices only collect accelerometer data for a few seconds and at periodic intervals, such as every five minutes. In some instances, the computing device may analyze the collected accelerometer data to determine which physical activity a user may be currently be engaged. However, while limiting the accelerometer data collected by the computing device may increase battery life, the computing device may move in a meaningful way during the time between the data collection periods, which may reduce the accuracy of the physical activity determinations and which may result in activity transitions being missed by the mobile device.